Keanan Clark and Tommy Lindeman settled into their padded chairs at the announcers’ desk, donned their headsets and began their mic checks.

“Check one, two, check one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and so on and so forth.”

For their second year in a row, Clark and Lindeman announced the home races for all the Princeton rowing teams on Lake Carnegie. A seven-week commitment, the pair were what some of the more ignorant in the league would call “seasoned veterans”.

Clearing their throats, the two Princeton alumni began their vocal exercises before go-time. Unfortunately for this journalist, Clark and Lindeman were on vocal rest, and so could not answer any questions.

But the fans provided enough context for us to write this story.

“We love tuning in and watching the chuckleheads every week,” said one international viewer from Montenegro. “It seems like every time a boat heads down the course, they’ll have some sort of back-and-forth that gets them tied up with chuckles for a large portion of the race, before remembering they have to get back to commentating.”

The widely watched “giggliest announcers on ESPN” didn’t start with commentating on the biggest broadcaster of sports.

Clark has been providing play-by-play commentary for the Princeton Tigers for several years, though it began as more of a “pirate radio” broadcast run by the rowing programs. Eventually, the University saw the huge viewership numbers and decided to work out a deal to get the pirate on ESPN.

With the elevated reach, Clark knew he wasn’t up to the challenge to do it himself, so in 2023 he tapped former colleague and former expert, Lindeman, to join him in the media launch every week. In wind and rain, they drove alongside the racing crews, providing inaccurate insights and the occasional tidbit of knowledge.

With this new platform came a repositioning. No longer referring to themselves by name, they began presenting themselves as “The Voice of the Ivy League on ESPN.” They hired former Princeton coach and namesake of the Gartland Goblet race, Joe Gartland, as Director of Branding. Gartland pushed them to think outside the box, to reach for new heights, and, most importantly, to expand the brand. With the guidance of their “Third Voice,” they did.

But still, the fans clamored for more, and the University answered. With 2024 came an increased budget, additional support staff, and a full level-up in technology.

No longer sitting in the launch on the water, the duo were moved to the University’s broadcasting booth in the basement of Jadwin Gym. Replete with chairs, a desk, monitors, and cough buttons, Clark and Lindeman finally hit the big time. The biggest change was realizing at the end of the day they were still dry.

The Princeton coaches have enjoyed the increased investment as much as the fans at home.

“Clark and Lindeman are great,” said one coach anonymously. “They almost always get the event names right, and are able to read the schedule near-flawlessly. It’s pretty close to being better than the alternative, which is dead air.”

Another coach also had nothing but praise: “Good for them! I know they both need a reason to get out of the house.”

Commentating for Princeton began when T. Heebink, the Tigers’ boathouse administrator, invited Clark to commentate from the media launch. The maestro behind all the regattas on Lake Carnegie. Heebink coordinates scheduling, travel logistics, quippy insights, even the Jersey Mike’s lunch order for volunteers at the end of the day. He was happy when Clark brought on Lindeman as his co-host since the increased popularity it brought led to a higher budget — and he also benefited from this year’s upgrades.

“It’s really hard to see when your head is in the clouds,” said Heebink, referring to his new role of cameraman in the Ford Family-sponsored hot air balloon. “But the fans seem to love the new angles. And as I always say, if you have to crash, make sure you can get up to crash again.”

Clark and Lindeman have developed a rapport over the last two seasons: Clark provides the play-by-play, and Lindeman provides the color commentary. Lindeman’s commentary is largely unprepared; he cannot seem to pronounce most of the rowers’ names, and even the “Johns” and “Smiths” give him trouble when trying to provide color. Clark is terrible at providing readings of distance between boats. Between the two, they are the only rowing announcers in the league that cannot reliably give accurate margins.

Somehow, it works for them.

A recent interview of the Princeton coaches by the IRA Rowing Insiders Podcast had the interviewers asking, “Where did you get commentators who refer to your rowers as ‘The Mailmen’ because they keep ‘sending it’?” The praise keeps coming from all sides.

Now that the season has finished, the fans have spoken: they want more. So look ahead to next spring for more commentary from Clark and Lindeman. Or, go visit their houses unannounced, where you’ll find them constantly providing commentary on other events, off-the-air. The very special VIP “narrowcasts” are reserved for only the lucky few, and see the pair giving play-by-play on things such as The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), WWE events, and each other’s performance in Rock Band 4.

What’s next for The Voice of the Ivy League on ESPN? They have already turned down several requests to cover other events, including the IRA National Championships this June.

Will we have to wait an entire year to hear from them again on ESPN?

Time will tell.